The sweet smell of cinnamon and oranges drifted out of the kitchen and filled your nostrils. You sighed and answered the call of deliciousness, plopping a few cookies into your mouth as you walked toward your bedroom. Your stomach suddenly started rumbling, bringing you back to reality.
"Oh dear, the princess is hungry now, you thought to yourself. There were still some leftover cookies in the bag you carried, and you wanted to wash and eat them while they were still fresh. Maybe it would be best to save them for another time.
The overhead chimes rang, signaling the arrival of your father. You began to wonder what he did over the morning, his presence alerted you to a situation he wished to discuss. There was only one type of situation for which he would venture inside the castle, you laughed to yourself.
You stood in front of the door to your bedroom and raised a gloved hand to the door knob. Before you turned the knob, you caught the faint sound of your father's voice. It was muffled, but you could hear him and Lancelot arguing about something. Your curiosity was piqued and you she pressed your ear against the door.
"I've been telling you, Lancelot. The king and I have been talking, and we're going to make a new law. You see, a lot of the men in this kingdom think that a woman's place is to do all of the household chores. The Princess and her friends have tried to change that antiquated system and they're all being punished for it. That's why we're going to ask that they be confined to their youth, only doing the household tasks," King Arthur boasted.
You wanted to throw up.
"Look, Sir Lancelot, I know that I'm your friend and all, but this is just not the way to go about doing things. We should follow the King Arthur Act, which says that women can only do house work and any other job that men can do.
This is going to destroy a lot of communities, for heaven's sake! I'm telling you, we should just retract this whole thing and end this ridiculous Princess Act thing. It's only the Princess that wants this law, the rest of the princesses are not even aware of this most foolish of ideas, argued Sir Lancelot.
Your heart immediately sank at the mere mention of your name around Lancelot. It pained you to think that he's talking about you.
"I don't want to hear about it, your father replied. Just deal with it, Lancelot. I won't hear another word about it. You should just get back to the kitchen to check on the progress of the party. Go on now, out.
Your curiosity was through the roof and you could not restrain yourself from turning on the door knob and hurrying inside.
"Father, you began. He spun around, clearly deer in headlights.
"What is it? he asked.
"Chad, what is what? He was obviously tired.
"Lancelot is right, father. We should not have so many men in there. Our system is already outdated and this law is going to prove that even more.
"Don't listen to him, princess. It will pass, he said. I don't care what happens to it, as long as it goes away I'll be fine.
"But father, if it passes we will be stuck doing absolutely nothing all day. We have to do something.
"It's the best decision. Now, I have things to do, go to your room, little girl.
You were stunned. He would not even look at you to make eye contact, forcing you to walk away. His feet carried him back down the hall and you heard the door of his bedroom close as you walked back to yours.
You threw yourself onto your bed and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. You could only think about the repercussions of this law. It was a stupid idea, for one. The men in the kingdom would never agree to it. How will you even allow them to go to war and do the manly things a man was supposed to do?
Your stomach growled, reminding you that you did not eat all day. You grabbed your mother's apron and tied it around your waist. You selected one of your father's white shirts and rolled it up to the elbows, leaving your chest exposed. You reached into the basket of baked breads and grabbed two.
The smell of baked bread drew your attention to the kitchen. The crowd was quiet and the only man in the room was Lancelot. He was humming as he stirred a large stew pot. Your mother was helping the nanny change your little brother's diaper.
At the look of your apron, Lancelot raised an eyebrow.
"What brings you here? he asked, breaking the silence. You looked at him awkwardly, his eyes piercing your skin. You suddenly found yourself turning bright red and you could feel your cheeks moisten. You hoped that he did not notice.
"Chad, stop blushing. Nothing will ever happen between us, he said. "Not when you're your father's daughter.
"Chad, calm down! Your father exclaimed as he walked into the room. "You're overdramatizing things. We'll go over it later.
Lancelot shot your father a look and turned back to the pot. Yes, right away.
Oh, you seem busy," your father said. I'll just grab these two little cookies and then I'll be back. You looked over at Lancelot and he nodded to you. You began to head for the cookies, but your father had already grabbed them and headed back to his office.
You walked over to the table and grabbed one of the cookies. You bit into it and began to chew heartily. Suddenly, you heard a noise at the entrance of the kitchen.
"King Arthur! The committee will not wait any more, we're coming in right now. A troop of men came in, surrounding the kitchen table. Lancelot had just finished putting the pot up on the shelf and he was scurrying around, broadsword in hand.
Alright, everybody calm down! We're just here to discuss the Princess Act, one of the men said.
"Thirteen princesses are having enough of doing the 'damsel in distress' thing, exclaimed another. "And we're here to tell you to scrap it. It's not fair to the men on the battlefield, especially if they're proven right!
AH, THIS IS NOT FAIR! Lancelot's voice shouted from behind you. You turned around and gasped at the sight of the scimitar in his hand.
"Don't touch the king!
"You're not taking this law away from me. I'll flay every last one of you if you try.
"Put down your weapon, Lancelot! Your king commands to put it down!
"Lancelot, Sir Lancelot of the Round Table," your father cut in. He stepped out from behind the cowering men and grabbed Lancelot. My apologies, this is just our way of life. We can't let these women take away our jobs and our rights to do the things that we love!
Lancelot was pressed against the wall and the room was silent.
"Wait, Lancelot, one of the men spoke. "King Arthur, why don't you hold a vote tomorrow morning? If the majority says yes, then the Princess Act is accepted. If not, the men will have their jobs.
Yes, that sounds fair, your mother said. You were stunned. You had no idea that she would answer his question. Alright then, see you tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.